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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28278000">Call Them Brothers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxverm1nd/pseuds/nxverm1nd'>nxverm1nd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Sleepy Bois Inc, mcyt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brothers, Gen, M/M, Parent Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Twins, Twins Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:22:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,338</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28278000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxverm1nd/pseuds/nxverm1nd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Just frame the halves and call them brothers" </p><p>Wilbur Soot and his twin brother, Techno, were extremely close growing up, until one night when Techno disappears. When Techno is reunited with his family, however, he isn't the same. Despite his pent up anger towards his twin brother for leaving him alone for over a year, along with Techno's drastically different appearance, Wilbur has to learn to accept his other half again. </p><p>Titled after the song "Call Them Brothers" by Regina Spektor and Only Son</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream/Floris | Fundy, Floris | Fundy &amp; Wilbur Soot, Jschlatt &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo, Niki | Nihachu &amp; Wilbur Soot, Technoblade &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade, Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>671</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. That's Enough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there! Thank you so much for checking out my story! Whether you've come here from my Tiktok, or you've just stumbled upon it on your own, I really really appreciate you reading this and I hope you enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Be careful, boys!" Phil shouted from the kitchen as Wilbur and Techno ran out the back door and into the yard, swords in hand. The ten year old twin brothers stood across from each other, readying themselves to spar</p><p>"You're going down!" Wilbur said, pointing his sword at Techno </p><p>"Yeah right!" Techno giggled, adjusting his glasses and lowering himself into a fighting stance </p><p>Wilbur charged at his brother with a shout, Techno parried his strike with ease, pushing him back. Their swords clashed together, the sound of metal against metal combined with giggling and shouts filled the warm summer air. </p><p>A perfectly aimed strike from Will caused Techno to lose his grip on his sword slightly</p><p>"Hah! Gotcha!" Wilbur said triumphantly</p><p>Techno readjusted his grip and looked up at his brother, his glasses askew and a menacing gleam in his eyes. Wilbur went to strike again, but Techno countered with twice as much force, knocking Will to the ground. He stood over him, sword aimed directly at his chest. Wilbur lay in the grass, frozen in fear, when Phil's arm came out to stop Techno. </p><p>"Techno, that's enough." Phil said firmly, causing his son to snap out of his trance. Techno dropped his sword and lowered his head, breathing heavily. Phil helped Wilbur up, putting an arm around his shoulders. </p><p>"Are either of you hurt?" his sons both shook their heads, "I thought I told you two to wear armor." Phil said, the disappointment in his voice was audible  </p><p>"Sorry dad.." Techno mumbled, eyes still pointed at the ground </p><p>"Don't apologize to me, Techno, apologize to your brother." Phil said </p><p>"Sorry Will, I just kinda...zoned out...I'm really sorry." </p><p>"It's okay..." Wilbur said, avoiding eye contact with his brother </p><p>"Just be more careful next time, alright? And please wear armor." Phil said, releasing his grip on Wilbur, "Come inside, dinner's ready." </p><p> </p><p>The dinner table would have been quiet that evening, if it weren't for the usual chatter from Wilbur and Techno's seven year old little brother, Tommy, and their eight year old adopted brother, Tubbo</p><p>"Tommy!!! You're stepping on my foot!" Tubbo whined </p><p>"Am not!" Tommy retorted, very obviously stepping on Tubbo's foot </p><p>"Tommy, stop kicking your brother." Phil sighed, not looking up from his plate </p><p>"I'm not kicking him! I'm just stepping on his foot!" </p><p>"Tommy, stop stepping on your brother's foot." Techno said, taking a bite of his mashed potatoes </p><p>"You're not my dad! You can't tell me what to do!" Tommy argued </p><p>"This conversation is over." Phil butted in</p><p>"Whose turn is it to do the dishes? Because it's not me. I did them last night." Wilbur said</p><p>"Not me." Techno piped up</p><p>Tommy and Tubbo looked at each other competitively</p><p>"Rock Paper Scissors?" Tubbo said</p><p>"Let's settle this like real men." Tommy challenged</p><p>Wilbur rolled his eyes as Tommy complained loudly about losing Rock Paper Scissors, groaning as he tromped into the kitchen</p><p>"Stop being a drama queen, Tommy."  Techno teased, stifling his laughter as he listened to his little brother's theatrical sighs </p><p>"You're one to talk, Techno. Just yesterday you were lying on the floor groaning because dad told you it was bedtime and took away your book." Wilbur commented </p><p>"Hey! That was reasonable! I was in the middle of a chapter!" Techno said defensively </p><p>At this point, both Tubbo and Phil were cracking up. The twins' bickering was always sure to be a source of entertainment due to the fact that it was usually over the most stupid topics. Like the one they had last week over who would be a better pirate, an argument which Techno unsurprisingly won. Phil eventually caught his breath </p><p>"Who's up for a movie?" </p><p> </p><p>There were two things that were guaranteed in Phil's household- constant bickering, and Tubbo falling asleep during movies. That particular night, he was passed out with his head on Phil's shoulder within half an hour. Phil smiled down at his adopted son, and careful not to wake him, he shut off the TV. He looked to his other kids, Tommy sat on the floor as per usual and the twins were curled up together on the far end of the couch, as if they were joined at the hip. </p><p>"Bedtime, boys." Phil whispered, as he carefully picked Tubbo up and carried him to bed. The four of them all shared a bedroom due to how small their house was; Tommy and Tubbo had their own beds, and Wilbur and Techno had a bunkbed. Will slept on the bottom bunk because when Tommy had nightmares, he always climbed into Will's bed for comfort. Wilbur didn't mind this at all, in fact, he had grown so used to it, he usually didn't even wake up.</p><p>Phil tucked Tubbo and Tommy in, turning on the night light next to Tommy's bed- he was scared of the dark. </p><p>"Goodnight, boys, sleep well. Techno, if I come in here and catch you reading, the flashlight's going on top of the fridge." Phil said, his hand on the doorknob. </p><p>Techno chuckled, "Whatever you say, dad." </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Bedtime Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Uno!" Tommy shouted triumphantly, holding up his last card </p><p>"Not so fast!" Techno interrupted, slamming down one of his final two cards, "Uno!!" </p><p> Tommy scowled at his older brother, Uno was particularly intense when Tommy and Techno played, since they were both extremely competitive. </p><p>"Why are you screaming? You're literally sitting across from each other!" Tubbo complained </p><p>"I'll scream if I want, Tubbo!" Tommy protested </p><p>“Techno, Tommy, quiet down.” Phil called from the other room</p><p>Tubbo burst out laughing as Tommy’s face twisted into a playful scowl</p><p>“I’m still gonna beat all of you” he said, his eyes sparkling</p><p>“In your dreams!” Techno challenged</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">Wilbur looked over at Tubbo, who was grinning mischievously</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"What are you plotting, Tubbo?" Wilbur asked, trying to get a glimpse of his little brother's hand  </span>
</p><p><span class="Apple-converted-space">"Sorry, Tommy." Tubbo said, pretending to be </span>sympathetic as he put down a draw four card, "I'm changing the color to blue."</p><p>"NO!!!" Tommy yelled, slamming his fist on the table, "How dare you?! Jesus, I wish we never found you in that box." </p><p>"Excuse you!!" Tubbo retorted </p><p>"Just pick up the cards, child."  Will said, barely able to talk he was laughing so hard </p><p>The whole table erupted in laughter as Tommy hung his head in shame, drawing four cards from the deck, even Phil was laughing as he watched his sons from the doorway.</p><p> </p><p>Techno won Uno that night, although Tommy refused to let him brag about it, cutting him off every single time Techno brought it up as the four brothers sat talking in their room. Every once and a while, Phil would let his boys stay up a little longer than usual, because he knew how much they all enjoyed their late-night conversations. </p><p>"Listen, I just think I would make the best pirate out of all of us." Wilbur said, he was sitting cross-legged on his bed, fidgeting with the hem of his blanket. </p><p>Techno's face was obscured by his book, but it was obvious he was rolling his eyes, "Why are we still having this debate? We've already decided that I'd be the best pirate." </p><p>"Pirates were pretty bad dudes, and their lives kinda sucked, I don't think either of you would wanna be pirates." Tubbo commented, ever the mediator </p><p>"Tubbo, would you stop being right for just one second? It's annoying when you're right." Tommy said, exasperated </p><p>"Tommy, I think you're just mad that he's smarter than you." Will said </p><p>"Hey! Not true!" Tommy paused for a moment, "Okay, maybe it's a little true." he admitted </p><p> </p><p>"Hey Techno, can we have a bedtime story?" Tubbo asked after a few minutes of silence </p><p>Techno chuckled and put down his book, "I suppose." he said, starting to climb down from his bunk </p><p>"Yes!" Tommy said under his breath, celebrating internally. He loved Techno's bedtime stories, although he never admitted it. </p><p>Techno was easily the best storyteller out of all of them, possibly even better than Phil. Maybe it was the fact that he was always reading, or the fact that he wanted to be a writer when he grew up, but Techno's bedtime stories were always amazing. </p><p>He sat at the foot of Tubbo's bed so his brothers could see him better, "Alright, let's see... once upon a time, there were four brave warriors, all brothers." </p><p>"Were they pirates?" Wilbur interrupted </p><p>"No, they weren't pirates, shut up Will. Anyways, four brave warriors, all brothers. They weren't part of an army, but the king often called on them for personal matters, like if a certain person was causing him problems, he would ask the four warriors to get rid of that person." Techno continued </p><p>"Get rid of as in kill them?" Tubbo asked </p><p>"No, no, not kill them, just... get rid of them. Nah, I'm just messing with you, they'd kill them." </p><p>"Nice." Tubbo said </p><p>"Okay, moving on. One day, the king called upon the four warriors with a special request. Word had been received of a dragon just outside the kingdom, and the king required only the bravest of fighters to defeat it. And after hearing of the huge reward that they would get for killing this dragon, the warriors accepted." </p><p>"Why couldn't they just make friends with the dragon?" Tubbo tilted his head </p><p>"Because it's a dragon, Tubbo, it would just kill you." Wilbur said </p><p>"Just let him tell the story, would you?" Tommy said, already invested </p><p>"Thank you, Tommy. Anyways, they couldn't just befriend the dragon because, as Will said, it would instantly kill them. Plus, they were getting huge amounts of gold to defeat the dragon. So, the next day, the four warriors set out on the journey to find this dragon and kill it. While on their journey, they come across a river, luckily there's a bridge; but as they go to cross it, a cloaked man jumps out of the bushes and blocks the bridge. The man tells the warriors that in order to cross the bridge, they must first answer his riddle. The riddle goes like this- <em>On my own, I am darkness, a black abyss. But, Life brings me light with its gentle kiss. I am quiet and cold, but warmth I can hold. Alongside beauties and wonders, sights to be told. My surface may be bare, this I'm aware. But, beautiful secrets I am eager to share. My mouth so large, I swallow you whole. To be in my belly is your goal. What may lie within can drive men to sin. Greed and desire, gluttony's kin. For some, I am fear. For others, hope. My perception shaped from life's scope. From the earth I have come, and forever will stay, even if parts of me crumble away. What am I?</em>" </p><p>"What does abyss mean?" Tubbo asked</p><p>"It's like a really deep pit." Will said, "Also, is the answer a cave?"  </p><p>"Nice, Will!" Techno said, genuinely surprised that his brother got the answer so quickly. He continued the story, "The middle brother stepped forward and gave the correct answer. Impressed, the man stepped aside and let the four warriors continue on their journey. The moment they reached the spot marked on the map that king gave them, the brothers heard a huge roar." </p><p>"The dragon!" Tommy exclaimed, "Sorry." he added quickly after Techno shot him a glare </p><p>"Over the trees, they say a puff of smoke, and readying their swords, they charged towards it. Standing there, in the middle of a field, was a huge dragon with bright red scales, and it looked very angry. The brothers ran at the dragon, and in an epic battle, they defeated it. As proof of their victory, they sliced a scale off of the carcass of the dragon, and began the journey back to the kingdom. When they presented the scale to the king, they received their reward, and lived happily ever after as the heroes of the kingdom. The end." </p><p>His brothers all clapped, even Tubbo, who was half asleep at that point </p><p>"Great story, Techno." Will said </p><p>"Thank you, Wilbur. Now, it's time for bed, all of you." Techno said, tuning out the lights and climbing back up into his bed "Goodnight guys." </p><p>"G'night." Tommy said sleepily </p><p> </p><p>The next morning, Wilbur was the first one awake, as he usually was. He climbed up the ladder to wake Techno, just so he could have someone to talk to; but when he reached the top, his brother wasn't there. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi! I know I said this chapter would be out yesterday, but I was busy with family stuff, so, here it is today! Thank you so so so much for all the support on the last chapter, it really means the world to me. I hope to update like every other day or so, but that might change depending on how busy I am. Anyways, I hope you all continue to enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Missing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wilbur poked the blankets on his twin brother's bed, "Techno?" Nothing moved. He looked around the room frantically, "Techno?!" </p><p>Tommy lifted his head up "Will? What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked, his words broken up by a yawn </p><p>"Everything's fine, Tommy, go back to sleep." Wilbur reassured his little brother, but internally, he was panicking. </p><p>Will crept out of the room, careful not to wake Tommy and Tubbo and rushed to the kitchen where his dad was having his morning coffee</p><p>"Dad... have you seen Techno?" Wilbur asked, his hand on the doorway </p><p>Phil looked up at his son, "Oh, good morning Will. No, I haven't seen Techno, why do you ask?" </p><p>"When I woke up he wasn't in his bed." Will said </p><p>His father put down his coffee mug "I see... maybe he's in the bathroom?" he suggested </p><p>"I'll go check." Wilbur said, he was getting more worried by the second. He walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door, "Techno?" </p><p>No response. </p><p>He knocked again, "You in there?" </p><p>Still nothing. </p><p>Will ran back to the kitchen, "Dad? He's not in there." </p><p>Phil furrowed his brow, "Hmm. That's odd..." </p><p>"Yeah... I'm getting kinda worried." Will responded, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt </p><p>"I'm sure he's fine, Will." Phil said, attempting to comfort his son, "How about some breakfast?" </p><p>Wilbur sighed, his brother wasn't the kind of person to just disappear like this, and it was starting to really scare him. He sat down at the kitchen table across from his dad. </p><p>"Breakfast?" Phil repeated </p><p>"I'm not hungry..." Will said quietly </p><p>"Come on, son, you have to eat something." Phil said, "At least have some cereal or something." </p><p>"I said I'm not hungry." Wilbur snapped, getting up and leaving the room before his father could protest. Truth is, he was hungry, he was just too nervous to eat anything. He stormed back into his room, at that point Tommy and Tubbo were both awake and sitting up in their beds, talking. </p><p>"Hey Will, is Techno already up?" Tommy asked </p><p>Wilbur didn't say anything, he just threw himself onto his bed and buried his face in the pillow. </p><p>"Well okay then..." Tubbo said, he sounded confused. </p><p>Will heard shuffling, then the door closing, and then the room was quiet. He curled up even tighter, his mind racing. <em>Where could Techno have possibly gone? How could he have just...vanished? </em>Wilbur didn't understand. He wanted nothing more than to scream, he wanted to cry for his twin brother. But he couldn't, even if he tried, nothing would come out. The door opened again</p><p>"Wilbur...where's Techno?" Tommy asked shakily. </p><p> </p><p>The house was nearly silent the whole day. Tommy sat sullenly in an armchair, gazing at book but never turning the page. Tubbo sat at Tommy's feet, flipping absentmindedly through a magazine. When Wilbur finally did leave his room, he spent all afternoon on the couch, staring anxiously at the door, hoping that Techno would walk in at any moment. He didn't even listen to music, his favorite thing in the world. Tommy and Tubbo would usually be watching cartoons on the TV, but the remote lay untouched on the coffee table. The only sounds in the entire house were the ticking of the wall clock and Phil's voice as he called the parents of Techno's friends, desperately searching for any sign of his son. </p><p>Evening came and they all sat at the dinner table in silence, no one was particularly keen on eating. Techno still hadn't come home, Phil had called everyone he could think of and no one had seen him. After no one spoke for what felt like hours, Phil put his fork down </p><p>"That's it" he said "I'm calling the authorities. We need to find Techno." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi! I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support so far!! Seriously, this has been out for like 3 days and it already has almost 700 hits? That's insane. I really really appreciate you all, and I truly hope you continue to enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Please Come Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>POSSIBLE TW: Grief, depressive behavior</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Techno had been missing for over a month with no sign of him. The town conducted a search party, but it turned up nothing. His family put up missing person posters with no result yet. The police told them that they should just wait it out or hire a private investigator, but there was no way that Phil could afford that. So they waited. The house fell quiet, the ever-present bickering stopped almost entirely, no one did anything anymore- nothing was worth doing. Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo became even closer, desperately trying to compensate for the empty hole left by their brother. Tommy started sleeping in Wilbur's bed every night as his nightmares worsened and Tubbo refused to sleep without Techno's stuffed pig.  Out of the three brothers, Wilbur handled Techno's disappearance the worst. He wouldn't move from the couch most days, he just stared at the door for hours on end, barely talking. His iPod, which he used to listen to constantly, now sat on his nightstand, out of battery and collecting dust. Tommy tried to convince him to spar a few times, but Wilbur refused- it just wasn't the same without his other half. Even worse off was Phil; he spent all day in his bedroom, staring blankly at his computer or simply laying in bed. For the first few weeks, he continued to cook meals for his sons, but as time went on and there was still no news regarding Techno, Wilbur and Tubbo had to take over.</p><p>"Do you think dadza's okay? He hasn't left his room in a few days." Tommy asked one day while Will was making breakfast. "Dadza" was originally what Wilbur called Phil, it had no real meaning but, for some reason, it stuck.</p><p>"I hope so..." Will said absently, scraping scrambled eggs onto Tommy and Tubbo's plates, as well as onto a plate to bring to his dad  </p><p>"Aren't you going to eat something, Will?" Tubbo asked, concerned for his older brother </p><p>"Maybe later. You know breakfast is kinda weird for me." Will said, handing his brothers their breakfast </p><p>Will carried his dad's plate to his door and knocked, </p><p>"Dad? I brought you breakfast. Can I come in?" he asked cautiously </p><p>A barely audible "Yeah." was Phil's response </p><p>Will opened the door to find his father sitting at his desk, gazing at his monitor, which wasn't even on</p><p>"Promise me you'll eat at least a little bit?" Will said, putting the plate in front of his dad </p><p>"I'll try, son. Thank you for the eggs." he said, giving Wilbur a weak smile </p><p>"Love you, dadza." Will said quietly, leaving the room </p><p>"Love you too, Will." Phil said </p><p>Wilbur walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with his younger brothers </p><p>"How's dad?" Tommy asked, putting his fork down </p><p>"He's alright..." Wilbur lied; Phil very clearly wasn't alright, but he didn't want to worry Tommy and Tubbo. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>Summer was nearly over and there was still no sign of Techno. The twin's birthday came and went like any other day, there was no party, nothing. Wilbur's best friend, Niki, came by with cupcakes, but that was it. Really, Niki had been the only constant support the family had gotten since Techno's disappearance. Techno's friends had fallen out of touch and Will's friends who still talked to him really only badgered him about his brother. But Niki had been a reliable source of baked goods and a good confidant to Will. </p><p>The day before they went back to school, Wilbur and Niki were sitting on the couch together; although it had been almost four months since Techno went missing, Wilbur still sat on the couch every day and watched the door. </p><p>"I know you're nervous about tomorrow, Will." Niki said, turning to face her childhood best friend </p><p>"Yeah...I am. It's just...I know people are just gonna ask me about Techno." Will said with a sigh </p><p>"I'll stick by you, make sure people don't harass you too much." Niki said, "If you want, that is." She added quickly </p><p>"I'd really appreciate that, thanks Niki." Will gave her a halfhearted smile </p><p> </p><p>That night, after Niki went home, the brothers were sitting in their room in silence. The air was empty without a bedtime story from Techno. After the lights were out, Tommy crawled into Wilbur's bed like he did every night, but neither of them slept. Even though no one said a word, it was obvious what they were all thinking- <em>tomorrow's going to suck. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi!! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm so glad that you all have stuck with this story and are liking it so far! Thank you all so much for your support, it really means the world &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Right Hand Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The boys were right, the next day did suck. All that their classmates did was bombard them with questions about Techno</p><p>"Where is he?"</p><p>"What happened to him?" </p><p>"Do you know if he's coming back?" </p><p>Wilbur tried his best to put up with it, always giving the same answer, "I don't know." </p><p>Niki was huge help, she stuck by Will pretty much the whole day, fending off the especially invasive people. It was like getting chased down by paparazzi, if the paparazzi were a group of nosy twelve year olds. It was Wilbur's worst nightmare, but he handled it relatively well- especially compared to his youngest brother. Tommy was not at all known to be a calm person, but that day he was absolutely furious, launching threats and insults in every direction; Wilbur had never seen him that angry, no one had. But who could blame him? His brother had been missing for four months, and no one knew where he was, why he had gone, when he was coming back, or if he was even coming back at all. </p><p>During lunch, Wilbur watched as Tommy argued with anyone he could. People he didn't tell to "shut up" or "go away", he threatened to fight. Sitting next to him the whole time, completely oblivious to what was happening, was Tubbo. Strange little Tubbo- always the oddball of the family, always rambling about whatever niche thing he had learned about recently. But in the past few weeks leading up to the first day of school, he became concernedly quiet. In fact, all that day, Tubbo didn't say a single word. For the first time since he was found by Phil in a box by the side of the road, he was entirely silent. </p><p>The evening when Phil came home from work carrying four year old Tubbo in his arms was one that none of them would ever forget. It was the middle of November and the heat was broken so the house was freezing cold. The twins were sitting on the couch, wrapped in blankets; Tommy was curled up in Wilbur's lap. Phil walked in the front door, something clutched to his chest. </p><p>"What's that, dad?" Techno asked, narrowing his eyes at the lump under his father's coat </p><p>"Your new brother." Phil said </p><p>Techno's eye's widened as a small face popped out to look at him</p><p>"This is Toby, I found him in a box by the road and, well, I couldn't just leave him there, so he's going to be living with us." Phil said, ruffling the little boy's mess of brown hair </p><p>"Where are his parents?" Wilbur asked </p><p>"They...couldn't take care of him anymore. There was a note from his dad in the box, it said that Toby needed a new home because his dad couldn't afford to keep him." </p><p>"Do you know who his dad is?" </p><p>"No, Will, I don't. But we're his family now." </p><p>Tommy popped his head up, "Hi Tubby!" he said, his speaking wasn't perfect yet </p><p>Phil chuckled, "Let's maybe not call him that, Tommy." </p><p>"How about...Tubbo?" Wilbur suggested </p><p>"Tubbo!" the little boy in Phil's arms piped up</p><p>And from then on, he was Tubbo. </p><p> </p><p>From the moment they first laid eyes on each other, Tubbo became Tommy's right hand man. The two were virtually inseparable, doing everything together, from wearing matching Christmas sweaters every year, to joining the soccer team at school. They lost every single game, but it didn't matter because they were at each other's side. Tommy and Tubbo balanced each other out perfectly, Tommy's endless destructive energy combined with Tubbo's slightly confused demeanor made for constant entertainment. Tubbo was always just a little bit lost, but his brothers were always there to guide him. He also seemed to know nothing about his past, whenever someone asked him about his parents or his life before Phil found him, he could never quite give an answer. Eventually, his adoptive family came around to accept that the life Tubbo used to have didn't matter, and that all that mattered was the talkative little oddball Tubbo that they called their middle child. </p>
<hr/><p>Wilbur walked over to Tubbo and Tommy's lunch table and put a hand on Tubbo's shoulder, </p><p>"Hey buddy, you doing alright?" Will asked </p><p>Tubbo didn't answer, he didn't even look up at his older brother; all he did was shrug. </p><p>Wilbur nodded, "Well, if you need anything, come find me." he said, turning and going back to his own table. </p><p>Will was worried about his little brother, Tubbo was never silent and the fact that Will hadn't even seen him talk to Tommy that day was incredibly concerning. All that Will wanted was to see his family happy, and if he could take all of the weight of Techno's disappearance, he would in an instant. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi there! Sorry that this chapter took a little longer to get out, I'm most likely going to start updating a little less frequently and writing slightly longer and more thought out chapters. So instead of a new chapter every other day, I'll be updating once or twice a week. Anyways, I've been really enjoying writing this so far, and I hope you're all enjoying reading it just as much!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Don't Blame Yourself</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time had never passed so slowly as it did when Techno was missing. It had been six months since he disappeared and every single day felt like ten thousand lifetimes, like every clock in the world had gone into slow motion. Halloween was pointless that year, usually it was Wilbur's favorite holiday; he and Techno would almost always have matching costumes. Tommy tried to convince his older brother to get a pirate costume in honor of Techno, but Will just couldn't see the point. They all stayed home and handed out candy that evening. </p><p>Phil seemed to get better as the weeks went by, little by little, he began to spend more time outside of his bedroom; he eventually even began cooking for his sons again. But as Phil improved, Tubbo started to get worse. The only people he spoke around were his family, he stopped talking at school altogether; he didn't even talk to his friends anymore. </p><p>"I dunno...I guess I just...can't talk to anyone but you guys." was Tubbo's response whenever he was asked about why he was acting so strangely. </p><p>Tommy jumped on it immediately, always helping Tubbo when he got overwhelmed, translating for him in class, explaining to people why he wasn't talking. Seeing Tommy be so sweet to Tubbo made Wilbur wonder about himself...<em>was he a good brother? </em></p><p>
  <em>Did Techno run away...because of Wilbur? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>No...he couldn't have. Will never did anything to hurt Techno, did he?</em>
</p><p>"I am a good brother." Wilbur reminded himself, over and over </p><p>"I am a good brother. I am, I am. Techno isn't gone because of me. I am a good brother...right?" </p><p>One night, Wilbur and Phil were sitting on the couch together; Tommy and Tubbo had already gone to bed, but Wilbur couldn't sleep. After a long period of silence, Wilbur brought up his worries to Phil. </p><p>"Hey, dad...I'm an okay person, right?" </p><p>Phil looked at his son and tilted his head, "Of course you are, Will. What makes you say that?" </p><p>"I don't know...it's just...sometimes I think the Techno going missing was my fault." Wilbur couldn't meet his father's eyes </p><p>"Oh, Will... of course it wasn't your fault. Out of the hundreds of things that could have happened to Techno, none of them are on you. You're a wonderful person, and you shouldn't blame yourself for any of this." Phil sounded as if he was about to cry.</p><p>Wilbur didn't respond, he simply scooted over and buried himself in his father's chest, inches away from tears. Phil put his arms around his oldest remaining son, rocking him slightly. Will let out a sob, all of the emotions he had shoved down suddenly came back up. He hadn't let anyone hug him in months, but that night something was different. That night, he broke. </p><p>"I...I miss him, dadza... I miss him so much. I just...I just want him to come home." Wilbur muttered between sobs </p><p>Phil closed his eyes, his own cheeks stained with tears as he rested his head on top of his Will's, "I know, son. I do too...we all do." </p><hr/><p> During the week leading up to Christmas, everyone was surprisingly cheerful, or at least they pretended to be. Christmas was Techno's favorite holiday, and his family agreed that they would try and enjoy it, for his sake. So they put up the Christmas lights and baked cookies together because they knew that's what Techno would want. Yet, no matter how hard they tried, it all felt empty. How couldn't it feel empty without Techno's stocking hanging from the mantle. How couldn't it feel empty when the top thing written on Tubbo's Christmas list was "Techno coming home."</p><p>On Christmas Eve, as Wilbur was beginning to fall asleep with Tommy pressed into side, he felt something move at his feet. He lifted his head to see Tubbo trying to curl up at the end of the bed.</p><p>"What're you doing, bubs?" Wilbur whispered</p><p>Tubbo looked sheepish, "I...uh...I just felt kinda lonely sleeping by myself I guess..." </p><p>Wilbur reached out his arms to his little brother, "Come up here, we'll make room for you." </p><p>After a lot of shuffling and disgruntlement from Tommy, they managed to fit Tubbo in between them. It didn't take long for Tubbo to pass out, using Wilbur's chest as a pillow. Will sighed, it was pretty cramped, but he was strangely content. Have Tubbo and Tommy snuggled up to him let him know that he was trusted. He had to protect them, they were all that he had left.</p><p>
  <em>I'm a good brother. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nothing can hurt them, because I'm here, they're safe with me. I'm a good brother. </em>
</p><p>Wilbur squeezed his eyes shut, he wanted everything to go away. He wanted to wake up the next morning and find Techno sitting in the living room, cross-legged on the couch as he ate his breakfast. He wanted to run outside in the afternoon and have a snowball fight with his brothers, he and Techno verses Tommy and Tubbo. Why couldn't things go back to normal? </p><p> </p><p>Techno wasn't on the couch when Wilbur woke up on Christmas morning. Instead, Phil sat in his armchair, sipping his coffee, and watched as Tommy and Tubbo picked up presents from under the tree and shook them. They were wearing the matching pajama bottoms they got last Christmas, which made Wilbur smile. </p><p>Phil looked up at his oldest son, "Oh, good morning Will. Merry Christmas!" </p><p>"Merry Christmas, Dadza." Will said, walking over to sit down on the couch, only for Tommy to tackle him </p><p>"Merry Christmas, Wilbur!" he shouted. No one had seen Tommy that happy in months and Wilbur couldn't help but grin. </p><p>"What are we waiting for? Let's open presents!" Tubbo said, practically jumping up and down </p><p>Tommy looked over at Phil, "Can we, dad?" </p><p>Phil chuckled, "Go right ahead." </p><p> </p><p>The room was filled with cheers as Will, Tommy, and Tubbo opened their presents. Tubbo clutched his new bee stuffed animal, Tommy showed off his lego set, and Will tried on the sweater that Niki's mom sent him. Phil got a handmade "World's best dad" trophy that the boys had collaborated on in art class at school. </p><p>Phil stood up, "Wilbur, you have one more present. Close your eyes while I go grab it." </p><p>"Oh- okay." Wilbur shut his eyes in anticipation. </p><p>He heard Tommy gasp, which made him even more excited </p><p>"Okay." Phil said "Open your eyes." </p><p>Phil held an acoustic guitar, his eyes sparkled </p><p>Wilbur clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. He had been asking for a guitar all year and every time his dad told him that they couldn't afford it. But there it was, just inches away from him. </p><p>"Is it...is it for me?" Wilbur said hesitantly </p><p>"You bet." Phil said, smiling warmly. He handed the guitar to his son, who cradled it like it was the most precious and fragile item in the world. He plucked the strings a few times. </p><p>"Thank you, Dadza." he said, his voice shaking slightly </p><p>"Of course." his father responded, ruffling Wilbur's hair. </p><p>In that moment, Wilbur was so overcome with joy, that he forgot about Techno. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi everyone, sorry this chapter took so long. School started up again for me and I've been a bit busy, but I hope I can get back on schedule. Thank you all so much, again, for all of your support, it truly means so much &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the next few months, Wilbur was relatively okay. Tommy's birthday passed and Phil threw a party for him, which was surprisingly enjoyable, even without Techno. Wilbur started to feel like he could let himself live without his other half again, something he hadn't even considered since Techno's disappearance. He started listening to music again, and he spent hours upon hours a week practicing guitar; he knew a few songs, but the one only one he knew entirely by heart was Techno's favorite song.</p><p>Of course, he still had bad days; days where he felt so alone without his twin brother that he could hardly get out of bed. It was on these days that Phil let Wilbur stay home from school. Then there were the nights where Will was angry, furious even. He hated Techno for leaving him alone, for putting him and the rest of their family through so much heartbreak. He didn't want to be angry, he truly didn't, but forgiving Techno was difficult after all that he had done to Wilbur. </p><p>It was clear that Tommy shared some of Will's anger towards Techno, especially for Tubbo's sake. It was clear that the stress from Techno's disappearance was the reason Tubbo had been acting so strangely, and that infuriated Tommy. If there was anyone who Tommy couldn't stand to see hurt, it was his right-hand man. Like the rest of the family, Tubbo had his good days and bad days. There were some times where he was his old chatty self, he might even say something around one of his friends. On the other hand, there were days where he didn't say a single word, he was silent as a broken radio. </p><p>When Techno came back, Wilbur was going to yell at him. </p><p>That is, if he ever came back. </p><p>
  <em>He would come back, right? </em>
</p><p>As the date that marked one year of Techno being missing drew closer and closer, Wilbur's hope that his twin brother would return dwindled. However, every time he brought up this worry to his family, he was called a pessimist and reassured that Techno <em>would </em>come back. </p><p>
  <em>What do they know? No one knows if Techno's going to come home. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He's been missing for almost a year, wouldn't he have come home by now? Does he not care about his family? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>No, of course he cares, he didn't leave on purpose. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Did he? </em>
</p><p>Wilbur was conflicted. On one hand, he believed that Techno was kidnapped and wasn't able to come back, that he did care about and miss his family. But on the other hand, he resented his twin brother and wanted blame him for all of the pain he had caused. But underneath his anger and his fear, Wilbur missed Techno. He missed sparring with him the back yard, he missed bedtime stories and falling asleep to the soft glow of Techno's flashlight as he read under the covers late into the night, he missed blowing out the candles at the same time on their birthday cakes. He even missed their arguments and the times where they wouldn't talk to each other for hours on end. The reality of it was that Will missed everything about Techno. It felt like he had lost a piece of himself, a piece of himself that he was completely lost without. </p><p>Every time Will felt like he was getting better, he would think about Techno and suddenly he was back to square one. He would call Niki and confide in her, but she could only help so much. Wilbur wanted to be happy, he truly did, but he felt like he would be betraying Techno if he felt okay without him. </p><p>The whole family was trapped in a never-ending cycle. Tommy would mess around and make jokes but he fell asleep each night gripping on to Wilbur like he was the last tangible thing left. Phil would stare at his computer screen for hours on end, never getting any work done. The Uno cards still lay scattered on the coffee table from the night Techno disappeared. Techno's favorite song was always stuck in Tubbo's head as Wilbur spent night after night staying up practicing it. </p>
<hr/><p>It had been an entire year since Techno vanished, and his family was beginning to lose hope. The missing posters around the neighborhood had been weathered away, the school year had finished with nothing but an empty space next to Wilbur's photo in the yearbook. The Uno cards were picked up off the table, Wilbur took the photo of him and Techno off his dresser and buried it away in a drawer- it hurt too much to look at. The whole house was desperate to be the closest thing to normal, unsure of whether they wanted Techno to come back or have all memories of him wiped off the face of the Earth. </p><p>On June 29th, exactly one year and two weeks after Techno's disappearance, was the largest storm to be recorded in over thirty years. Every house in area was plunged into darkness as the power went out, rain flooded the streets, thunder clapped so loudly it could had broken glass. Wilbur was sitting in the living room with the rest of his family, the only light coming from a single candle in the middle of the coffee table and the flashes of lighting that illuminated the sky like the sun. Tubbo had his face pressed into Phil's chest- he had always hated thunderstorms. Tommy was curled up in the big armchair, clutching his stuffed bear that he'd had since he was a baby. </p><p>There was a knock at the door. </p><p>"I'll get it." Wilbur said, standing up before anyone else could. </p><p>
  <em>Why would someone be knocking on the door in the middle of a storm like this? </em>
</p><p>Will unlocked the door and opened it halfway, he didn't want too much rain getting in. </p><p>His eyes widened it shock. The figure standing in front of him was unrecognizable...or he would have been if it weren't for the taped-up glasses. </p><p>"Techno?" </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well this chapter was a trip. That aside, thank you so much for all of your support and lovely comments, and for giving me the motivation to keep writing. I hope you continue to enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. You've Changed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Potential TW: brief talk of needles and scars</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Phil sprinted over to the door and flung it open all the way. His hand flew up to cover his mouth </p><p>"Oh my God..." </p><p>Techno bowed his head. His hair was flattened by rain, revealing his ears </p><p>
  <em>Were those...piglin ears? </em>
</p><p>The longer Will looked, the stranger it got. The scarred face, the ragged clothes...the </p><p>
  <em>Tusks? </em>
</p><p>"Techno...what happened to you?" Phil asked, studying his son's face </p><p>"It's a long story...Can I come inside? I'm getting kind of soaked out here." Techno said </p><p>"Oh, of course- Will, can you get him a towel, please?" Phil said, gesturing for his son to come in and closing the door behind him. </p><p>"Techno!" Tubbo shouted, running towards him, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the state that his brother was in, "Oh...Wow..." </p><p>"Yeah, I look a little different, I know." Techno said sheepishly </p><p>Wilbur handed him a towel, he still hadn't said a word to Techno. What could he say? His twin brother had just come home after vanishing off the face of the earth for a year and now he looked...like that? </p><p>"Thanks, Will." Techno smiled, taking the towel from his brother. Wilbur didn't respond. </p><p>"So what happened to you?" Tommy asked </p><p>"It's kind of a crazy story, I'm not sure if you'd believe me if I told you." Techno chuckled </p><p>"Of course we'll believe you, Techno. God we were worried sick." Phil said gently </p><p>Techno sat down on the couch, "Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning. I don't exactly remember what happened the night I disappeared, all I remember is someone grabbing me out of my bed and then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in a white room with really, really bright lights. I was in a hospital bed and there was no one else in the room. I don't know how long I was there, but after a while a lady in a lab coat came in and told me to come with her. She told me that I had been chosen for some kind of experiment and they were going to do a bunch of tests on me. The people at the lab weren't nice to me, they hooked me up to big machines and stuck needles in me, and well, turned me into this." he gestured at himself, "Anyways, after a long time of testing on me, they decided to let me go and they dumped me up the street like an hour ago and now I'm here." he scratched at his oddly shaped ears. </p><p>The room was silent for a while, before Tommy spoke up </p><p>"So...you were a lab experiment?" </p><p>"Yeah...pretty crazy, right?" </p><p>Phil looked at his eldest son with softened eyes, "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Techno. I'm...I'm just glad you're home." </p><p>"I'm glad to be home too." Techno said </p><hr/><p>Wilbur didn't speak to Techno for an entire week after he came home. He was furious with his twin brother, even though he now knew the reason for his disappearance. </p><p>
  <em>Who cares if he didn't leave on purpose? He still left us. He left us for an entire year. </em>
</p><p>Tubbo and Tommy, on the other hand, had a way different response to Techno returning. Tubbo latched on to his oldest brother like a parasite, hugging him or crawling into his lap at any chance he got. Tommy peppered him with questions about the lab constantly, which Techno tried his best to answer, but it was clear that it started to irritate him after a while. Eventually he would just tell Tommy that he didn't remember. </p><p>It was strange, having Techno back. He was different, in more ways than just the fact that he was now half piglin and there was the added caveat of watching him brush his tusks at night. There were nights where he would wake up screaming about injections and machines, crying out to Phil for help. He started having violent outbursts a thousand times worse than the times where he lost control when he and Wilbur used to spar. He'd throw things at the wall and knock books off the shelves, once he almost punched Tommy in face, but Phil stopped him. Phil seemed to be the only one who could calm Techno during his outbursts, he would rest his hand on his eldest son's shoulder and whisper something in his ear that no one else ever heard.</p><p>Despite all of his anger towards him, it was heartbreaking for Wilbur to see his brother like this. To see him spend hours sitting on his bed, running his fingers across the scars on his arms. Seeing him stare at himself in the mirror, disturbed by what he had become. Though he refused to admit it, Wilbur desperately wanted to help Techno. He may have been bitter, but that couldn't overpower the fact that all he wanted was to be a good brother and take Techno's pain away. </p><p> </p><p>One night, while Wilbur lay awake, Techno climbed down from his bunk and sat at the foot of Will's bed. </p><p>"Hey..." Techno whispered, </p><p>Wilbur didn't respond. </p><p>"I know you're mad at me, Will, and that's okay. I'd be mad too if my brother suddenly came back after being gone for a year without a trace. If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, I get it." </p><p>Silence. </p><p>Techno leaned back against the wall behind the bed, "Y'know, when I was in that lab, I missed you more than anyone else. Even more than I missed Dadza. Whenever I got really scared, I would think about sparring with you, and it helped me calm down a lot. I thought a lot about pirates, too, and I eventually came to the conclusion that you would be a better pirate. Because pirates sing a lot and you sing a lot, also I get sea sick and you don't. But yeah, I really missed you." </p><p>Wilbur felt his eyes well up with tears,</p><p>
  <em>Techno missed me more than he missed Dadza? </em>
</p><p>He didn't want to cry in front of Techno, he wanted his brother to know how mad he was at him; but at the same time, he also wanted him to know how much he missed him. </p><p>Techno scooted off of Wilbur's bed and started to climb the ladder up to his own, </p><p>"Goodnight, baby brother." he teased </p><p>"You're only older than me by two minutes." Wilbur said, unable to keep himself from smiling. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Firefly Watching</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"And then he just showed up at the front door." Wilbur said, he was lying on Niki's bed while his best friend sat on the floor, listening intently.</p><p>"Wow..." Niki said, leaning back against her dresser. </p><p>"Yeah. I feel crazy just talking about it." Wilbur said, chuckling slightly. He did feel crazy- who wouldn't? It sounded like he was living in the most cliché sci-fi movie. </p><p>"So you're telling me that Techno, your brother, was a lab experiment? Like, that can happen in real life?" Niki was clearly having difficulty processing what she had heard. </p><p>"I guess it can. I was as surprised as you." Will said with a shrug</p><p>"So...what are you going to do?" Niki asked </p><p>"What do you mean?" </p><p>"Will, I know you're angry at Techno for leaving you, but you need to get over it somehow." </p><p>"I don't know...I'm not sure if I can." Wilbur was sitting up at that point, staring listlessly at the wall </p><p>"He's your brother, Wilbur! He's your family! You can't just stay mad at him forever!" Niki chided </p><p>"Family isn't supposed to leave, Niki!" Will shouted, his fists clenched </p><p>He watched as Niki's face dropped, and a wave of regret washed over him </p><p>"I-I'm sorry, Niki. I didn't mean to yell at you..." </p><p>"I know you didn't, Will, it's okay." Niki said, her voice barely above a whisper </p><p>Wilbur rested his face in his hands and sighed heavily </p><p>
  <em>First, I get mad at my brother for disappearing, when he had no control over it at all, now I yelled at Niki.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What is wrong with me? </em>
</p><p>He felt Niki's hand on his back as she sat down next to him </p><p>"Hey...need a hug?" </p><p>Will nodded as his best friend wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and let himself relax; he had no idea what he would do without Niki, she had been there for him since day one and he couldn't bear to think about losing her. </p><p>Niki looked up at him and smiled. </p><p>"You're gonna be okay, I promise." </p><hr/><p>Summer evenings were always Wilbur's favorite, especially near the end of summer when there weren't as many mosquitos. He would sit on the back porch steps and gaze at the setting sun, lost in his thoughts. There were very few times where Wilbur wasn't stuck in his own head, there was always something on his mind, always something to overthink. </p><p>One particular night, as Will sat in his usual spot on the steps, he watched as the backyard lit up with fireflies; and for a moment, he was brought back to reality. It was beautiful, seeing the tiny lights flash in and out of existence, like the Christmas lights when Tommy put them on the "blink" setting. For a moment, Wilbur wasn't thinking about anger or fear or sadness. For a moment, he was at peace; just watching the fireflies.</p><p>He heard the back door creak open. </p><p>"Hey." Tubbo said, sitting down next to his older brother </p><p>"Hey, bubs. What're you doing out here?" Wilbur's gaze was still fixed on the fireflies </p><p>"I saw you from the window and, I dunno, I wanted to come sit with you." </p><p>Wilbur smiled to himself. If there was anything Tubbo was the best at, it was melting people's hearts, especially Will's. He saw a lot of himself in Tubbo; he was always just a little bit lost in life and Will found he could relate to that. </p><p>"Pretty, aren't they?" Wilbur nodded towards the light show in their back yard</p><p>"Yeah, really pretty." Tubbo said. </p><p>There was silence for a few minutes, before Wilbur decided to pitch the question that had been eating away at his insides. </p><p>"Tubbo, are you ever angry at Techno? For disappearing, I mean." </p><p>Tubbo thought for a moment, "I think I was, for a little bit, like when he first left. But then I started telling myself that he didn't leave on purpose and that it wasn't our fault he was gone, I wasn't angry anymore." </p><p>Wilbur nodded thoughtfully</p><p>
  <em>So I'm not the only one </em>
</p><p>"Are you angry, Wilbur?" Tubbo asked </p><p>"Yeah...I am." Wilbur said quietly </p><p>"Why? You know what happened to Techno wasn't his fault." </p><p>"I know, I know...it's just...I guess I kinda want him to apologize?" </p><p>"Would you apologize if you got kidnapped?" </p><p>"No...I guess I wouldn't."</p><p>"Then why should Techno?" Tubbo pointed out </p><p>Wilbur gazed down at his strange, half-silent little brother and smiled. </p><p>"You're smart, Tubbo. I think you're the smartest ten year old I've ever met." Wilbur said, ruffling Tubbo's hair. </p><p>Tubbo grinned broadly, "Thanks, Will." </p><p>The two brothers turned their attention back to the fireflies, Wilbur already deep in thought. </p><p>
  <em>Tubbo was right, and so was Niki. What happened wasn't Techno's fault. I need to stop being selfish and just forgive him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's not that hard, he's your brother, you care about him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just forgive him. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. It's been a bit hard to write, since I've been busy with school. I'll try to update more frequently, though! Thank you all so much for your support &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. I Don't Like Me For Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Potential TW: Neglect, self-image issues</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>But no matter how hard he tried, Wilbur just couldn't seem to forgive his twin brother. Over and over, he tried to remind himself that he was being ridiculous and staying mad at Techno just stupid at this point. But it always came back to the same thing. </p><p>
  <em>He abandoned us. </em>
</p><p>Wilbur and Techno's twelfth birthday party was miserable for Wilbur to say the least. The entire day, maybe two people wished him a happy birthday; it was all about Techno. It made sense, he had been gone for a year after all and a lot of the guests hadn't seen him since he got back. Yet Will couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous. </p><p>No, incredibly jealous. </p><p>Tommy could tell his older brother was upset, he always could, and tried to cheer him up by bringing him cake. Wilbur smiled and thanked him, but as soon as Tommy turned away, he set the paper plate down in the grass next to him; just as forgotten as he was. </p><p>"Hey, you doin' alright, Will?" </p><p>Wilbur looked up to see his dad standing over him. </p><p>Will nodded, but said nothing. </p><p>"Well, if you need me for anything, the backyard isn't very big, I'm sure you'll be able to find me." Phil said with a chuckle. </p><p>Wilbur sighed as he watched Phil walk back over to the group of parents he had been talking to before. He loved his dad, he really did, but sometimes it felt like he didn't know how to be a father. He clearly favorited Techno, he always had. Whenever he talked about his sons, he mentioned Techno first. Techno was always the first one he hugged when he came home from work. Will tried to hide how much it hurt him to know that his dad loved his twin brother more than he loved him, but he had a feeling that it was pretty obvious it made him upset. It clearly made Tommy upset too; Tommy was generally pretty terrible at covering up his emotions, so it wasn't hard to see that it got to him. Tubbo didn't seem to mind as much, or maybe he did, it was difficult to tell with Tubbo. He never really talked about how he felt, especially not since he stopped speaking in most situations. </p><p>What's worse is that Phil didn't seem to feel bad for his other sons when he showed his favoritism towards Techno. He never asked Wilbur if he felt forgotten, if he felt abandoned. </p><p>
  <em>Does he even notice that I'm upset? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Am I not good enough? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know he's trying to be a good dad. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He is trying, isn't he? </em>
</p><p>While Techno was gone, Phil did start expressing more affection towards his other kids; but the moment his oldest son returned, it was back to being ignored. </p><p>Tommy confronted Phil about feeling neglected at one point, resulting in a shouting match between them. Hearing his dad raise his voice that loud terrified Wilbur, he put his headphones on to try and drown out the noise, but Tommy was louder. </p><p>"You're the worst dad ever!" Tommy yelled.</p><p>Wilbur heard the front door slam. </p><p>
  <em>You're the worst dad ever...</em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>It was a Friday night, a week before school started. Everyone was getting ready for bed with the usual background noise of Tommy complaining about not being tired and wanting to stay up later. Deciding to take advantage of the commotion, Wilbur snatched his pajamas out of his dresser and practically sprinted to the hallway. </p><p>"I call first dibs on the bathroom!" he shouted </p><p>"Hey! You always go first! That's not fair!" Tommy whined </p><p>"Life isn't fair, Thomas!" Wilbur teased. He strolled to the bathroom, feeling very accomplished. </p><p>But it seemed like someone had already beat him to it. </p><p>Techno was standing at the sink, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. He looked disappointed in what he saw. When he heard Wilbur enter, he quickly snapped out of his trance, turning to look at his twin brother. </p><p>"Oh...hey, Will." Techno said half-heartedly </p><p>"Hey, Techno. What're you doing?" Will said, leaning against the doorway. </p><p>Techno sighed, turning his focus back to the grimy mirror. He turned his head to the side, examining his disfigured ears. </p><p>"Do you ever look in the mirror and just...wish someone else was there instead of you?" Techno asked</p><p>Wilbur considered the question for a moment, "I mean...maybe sometimes? I don't know. What do you mean?" </p><p>"I just...I don't like me for me, Wilbur." Techno's ears drooped, they always did when he was sad, causing his glasses to slide down his face. </p><p>Wilbur felt his heart sink and he looked down at floor. Hearing his brother talk down about himself hurt Will way more than he could admit. He didn't want Techno to dislike himself, he didn't wanted anyone in his family to dislike themselves. As much as Wilbur wished the worst upon his twin brother, he did care about him. Or maybe he didn't. He could never really tell how he felt about Techno. </p><p>
  <em>Why did this whole thing have to be so complicated? </em>
</p><p>"Why not?" Wilbur asked </p><p>"Look at me! I'm...I'm...scary..." Techno voice broke </p><p>Wilbur swallowed hard, "You're not scary..." he lied. Techno was a little scary, with his tusks and pointed ears, his scarred face and strangely yellowed eyes. His shaggy blonde hair looked extremely out of place in comparison to his appearance. </p><p>Techno grunted, "You're just saying that." </p><p>Will didn't know how to respond. He couldn't just tell his brother he was afraid of him, that would be ridiculous. Instead he just sighed and turned to leave the room. </p><p>"Hey, Will?" Techno said, stopping Wilbur in his tracks. </p><p>"Yeah?" </p><p>"What would you say if I dyed my hair?" </p><p>"I dunno, depends on what color you dyed it." Wilbur said nonchalantly </p><p>"I was kinda thinking pink..."</p><hr/><p>"So you're telling me you want to dye your hair pink?" Phil asked, scratching his chin. </p><p>"Yeah..." Techno looked sheepish </p><p>Tommy burst into laughter. The breakfast table was quiet until that point; of course Tommy had to cause a commotion. </p><p>"Tommy, don't laugh at your brother." Phil scolded his youngest son </p><p>"Sorry, I just- pink is like the least Techno color possible, y'know?" Tommy said, still giggling </p><p>"I think it'll look cool!" Tubbo piped up </p><p>"Thank you, Tubbo. Anyways- can I do it, dadza?" Techno said, his ears perking up slightly </p><p>"I don't see why not, go ahead, son." Phil said with a smile </p><p>"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Woooooo!! We made it to chapter 10!<br/>I wanted to give a quick shoutout to my friends for hyping me up since the very beginning and for inspiring me to start writing again.<br/>And of course, a huge thank you to you all for all of your support and incredibly kind comments. You give me the motivation to keep pursuing this fic and I'm so appreciative of all of you. I hope you continue to enjoy reading! Thank you guys so so so so much &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. You Could Be My Hero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>"Techno, I literally have no idea what I'm doing!" Wilbur complained, studying the instructions on the back of the hair dye box for the fifth time. </p><p>"Figure it out!" Techno told him, as if it was that easy. </p><p>"Why did you ask me to help you dye your hair? I've never done this before!" </p><p>"Well, dadza's busy, and would you trust Tommy or Tubbo with this?" </p><p>"Never in a million years." Wilbur chuckled</p><p>"So, you're the only option here. Just don't mess up." Techno said, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. </p><p>"I can't make any promises." Will teased, shaking up the bottle of light pink hair dye. </p><p> </p><p>Techno flinched slightly, "Ugh, it's cold! Why is it so cold?" </p><p>"Quit moving! I'm almost finished!" Wilbur ran his fingers through his brother's hair. It felt really weird to do that, but he had to admit that it was pretty funny watching Techno squirm.</p><p>"Thank God. I hate everything about this." </p><p>"You better not say that when you see how it looks when it's done. Okay now you gotta sit with the dye in for..." Will looked at the instructions again, "Thirty minutes." </p><p>"Are you kidding me? Thirty minutes?" Techno groaned </p><p>"Oh stop complaining, it's really not that long, dude." </p><p>"You're not the one with goop in your hair!" </p><p>The twins both burst out laughing, it was the first time Techno had made Wilbur laugh since he came back. In fact, it was the first time they had truly gotten along in months. In that moment, Wilbur felt almost as if he could forgive Techno. </p><p> </p><p>Wilbur watched as Techno stood in front of the mirror, a grin plastered across his face. His hair was still wet, but it was definitely pink. </p><p>"Do you like it?" Will asked with a smile </p><p>"I love it! It looks awesome!!" Techno said enthusiastically, his voice almost a squeal, "What do you think?" </p><p>"I think it looks cool!" Wilbur said. That was the truth, it really did suit his brother. </p><p>"Let's go and show dadza!" Techno was practically jumping up and down. </p><p>Wilbur followed his brother out of the bathroom and into the living room, where their father was sitting on the couch reading a book. </p><p>"Dad! Dad! Look!" Techno said, he was still grinning </p><p>Phil looked up at his son, "Wow, Techno! It looks very nice!" he said with a kind smile</p><p>Techno beamed, "Thank you! It's all thanks to Wilbur." </p><p>"Ah, nice job, Will." Phil said, he sounded significantly less interested. </p><p>Wilbur glanced down at the floor, the change in his father's tone made his mood drop a little bit. </p><p>
  <em>Am I really that unimportant compared to Techno? </em>
</p><p>The mood shifted again when Tommy walked into the room, his mouth dropping open the second he saw Techno's hair. He turned and shouted down the hallway </p><p>"Tubbo! Come look at Techno!" </p><p>Tubbo came scampering in, pushing Tommy out of the way </p><p>"Woah!" he said, his eyes widening </p><p>"What do you think, Tubbo?" Techno asked</p><p>"It's so cool!" Tubbo said, grinning </p><p>"It actually does looks pretty good." Tommy added </p><p>"Wow, thank you guys!" Techno said </p><p>Tommy very quickly changed the subject, as he often did, "Hey dadza, what's for dinner?" </p><hr/><p>That night, Wilbur couldn't sleep, his negative thoughts were unrelenting as he lay awake in his bed. </p><p><em>Dad </em> <em>doesn't care about me. </em></p><p>
  <em>He loves Techno more, he will always love Techno more. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm not good enough. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I can't do anything right. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nothing I do will ever be enough. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm a disappointment. </em>
</p><p>It got to the point where Will couldn't deal with his own mind anymore. He crawled out of bed and crept out of the room, careful not to wake up his brothers. Luckily, the incredibly ugly carpet that ran throughout the house softened his footsteps. Phil was sitting in the big armchair, reading by the light of the dim lamp in the corner. Wilbur sat down on the couch across from his father, waiting for him to notice that he was there. </p><p>Phil glanced up briefly, "Oh, hey, Will. Couldn't sleep?" </p><p>Without a second thought, Wilbur launched into the question that had been weighing on his mind for as long as he could remember, "Do you love Techno more than you love me?" </p><p>Phil hesitated, "N...no? Of course I don't, what makes you think that? he was avoiding making eye contact with his son. </p><p>"I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you you ignore me?" Wilbur said, crossing his arms. He could already feel the frustration bubbling up inside of him. </p><p>"What do you mean? I don't ignore you."</p><p>"Yes, you do. You always seem so bored when I show you something I'm proud of. When I showed you my science project, you didn't even say anything. But when Techno showed you his project, you treated him like he just invented solar system models!" </p><p>"Oh come on, Will, that was years ago!" </p><p>"Nothing's changed! You still act like that!" </p><p>Phil was silent. </p><p>"You know, dad, I used to think of you as my hero. But now, I'm starting to change my mind." And with that, Wilbur stood up and left the room. </p><p>He climbed back into bed, trying to hold back tears. He wasn't proud of what he'd said to his father, but it was the truth. </p><p>
  <em>Why can't he just be a good dad? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why couldn't he have just stayed my hero... </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! Sorry for the especially long wait on this chapter. I'm currently in school and it's a little difficult to balance writing with homework, but I promise I will keep updating for you guys, even if it's not the most consistent :)) Thank you all for your support! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. White Noise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>CW: Bullying</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Techno did seem a lot happier with his pink hair, actually. Wilbur could tell that his brother was much more confident in himself, which, as much as he hated to admit it, made him smile.  </p><p>When school started up again, all eyes were on Techno, just as everyone expected. Phil offered to homeschool Techno, as he knew that his oldest son would get bombarded the moment he stepped inside a classroom, but Techno refused. He never was one to surrender easily, he never took the easy way out of anything. He insisted that one day he would be one of the best writers in the world and that he needed to go to "real school" to prepare himself. Phil, having the soft spot for Techno that he did, let him go. </p><p>For the first few weeks of school, Techno was rarely seen without at least two other people around him, pelting him with questions. </p><p>"Where did you go?" </p><p>"What happened?" </p><p>"What's going on with your face?" </p><p>"Why do you look like that?" </p><p>Techno refused to answer any of the questions in depth. Most of the time he just ignored the people who interrogated him. Inevitably, this led to rumors being started.</p><p>"I bet his family did something to him, those freaks." </p><p>"I heard he's always had those weird teeth, but he just started growing them." </p><p>As the rumors started, so did the bullying. The features that Techno's classmates once "pretended" to find cool now ridiculed to no end. Wilbur watched as his twin brother tried to put on a brave face, but it was clear to see that he was slowly chipping away with every insult thrown in the halls, with every disgusted sideways glance. It hurt Will to see Techno getting tormented like that, and yet he never did anything about it. What could he do? He was the invisible one, the kid who constantly got in trouble for reading in class. He knew couldn't stand up to the bullies, he would get crushed. But what Wilbur couldn't do, Tommy did. Every time someone insulted Techno, Tommy bit back with a worse one. He started fights with anyone who gave Techno a weird look. Techno tried to stop his youngest brother from being so impulsive, but there was no holding Tommy back. </p><p>"I can't just let them say stuff like that to Techno!" Tommy protested </p><p>"Tommy, you gave that kid a black eye." Tubbo said</p><p>"So? He was being mean!" </p><p>"Tommy, you don't need to fight for me. I can handle it." Techno told his little brother with a half-smile </p><p>Tommy rolled his eyes, it was clear that he wasn't going to listen to anyone. He never did. </p><p> </p><p>It had gotten to the point where not even Wilbur could calm him down when he got riled up. Watching his little brother get so angry that he was driven to tears became part of Will's daily routine. He knew that Tommy only wanted to protect Techno, but he was going about it the complete wrong way. Wilbur begged Phil to do something to put a stop to Tommy's behavior, but the fifth time that Tommy got sent to the office, Phil had given up on disciplining him. He was the problem child, and there was no changing that. </p><hr/><p>By the time Christmas break came around, all of the confidence that Techno had gained from dyeing his hair had evaporated. The constant bullying from his classmates had completely drained the life from him. Phil had confronted the school dozens of times about the way his son was being treated, but nothing ever came of it. </p><p>Techno threw himself into writing, spending hours on end hunched over at shared desk in the brothers' room, filling up notebook after notebook with scribbling. He never let anyone see what he was writing, not even Phil. Though, one time, Wilbur's curiosity got the best of him and he snuck a peek at one of his brother's notebooks when he wasn't in the room. The writing was barely legible, but the fantastical stories were clear as day. Vivid tales of dragons, forest spirits, and sea monsters made up for the smudged ink on the pages. Wilbur put the book down before he was caught, but he thought about those stories for the rest of the night. He knew that his brother was an amazing storyteller, but Techno's writing truly blew him away. It was like Techno had given all of himself to writing the same way that Will gave all of himself to music. Maybe they weren't so different after all. </p><p>Techno hadn't stopped being Wilbur's other half when he disappeared, Wilbur just didn't want to admit that. Despite everything that had happened in the past two years, despite all the pain that Techno had caused, despite all his anger towards his twin brother, Will never stopped loving him. It didn't matter how much damage that Techno did, he was still Wilbur's best friend, and he still cared about him. </p><p> </p><p>One night, Wilbur walked into he and his brothers' shared room to find Techno curled up in the corner, covering his ears; his eyes were squeezed shut. Will walked over to his brother and sat down in front of him. </p><p>"Hey, Techno... What's wrong?" Wilbur asked, making his voice as soft as he could. </p><p>Techno opened his eyes- his gaze was filled with what could only be described as pure fear. </p><p>"I...I hear them, Will..." He whispered, his voice shaking </p><p>"Hear who? What do you mean?" Wilbur tilted his head </p><p>"The people...who...who are mean to me at...at school. They're in my head...I hear them." </p><p>Wilbur paused for a moment, thoroughly disturbed by his brother's answer. </p><p>"And what are they saying?" </p><p>"Bad things...really bad things...and they're so loud...and...and they won't stop-why won't they stop?!" Techno was sobbing at the point. </p><p>Wilbur instinctively reached out and pulled his twin brother into a hug. It was the first time he had hugged him since he came back. Techno buried his face in Wilbur's chest, completely unable to contain his tears. Wilbur had never seen Techno break down like that before. </p><p>"Hey, hey- you're okay. Everything is okay." Wilbur said quietly, rubbing his brother's back. "Do you want me to get dad?" </p><p>Techno shook his head, "No, no...this is fine...could you just stay here for a bit?" </p><p>"Of course." Wilbur rested his chin on the top of Techno's head, humming quietly. </p><p>
  <em>Maybe they weren't so different after all. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi everyone, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I am trying to get back on track with writing and I will start posting more regularly soon. Thank you all for all of your support &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. When I Grow Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nothing excited Techno more than turning 14, because that was the age you had to be to work for the school newspaper. The day after Techno and Wilbur's 14th birthday, Techno marched up to the head editor for the school paper and demanded to join. Surprisingly, despite the student body's hatred for Techno, he was allowed to join as a submission collector. For the rest of the day, Techno was absolutely ecstatic, he brushed off the daily onslaught of bullying like it was nothing. It was almost like he was invincible. Wilbur even noticed himself admiring his brother's confidence. Two years had passed since Techno came home, and Will had begun to forgive him. After many long talks with Niki, he realized that he needed to focus less on his anger towards his twin brother, and more on sympathizing with him. Techno had been through more than Wilbur could ever imagine and he should really give him a break. It was hard, it was so hard sometimes. He couldn't help himself from lashing out every once in a while. Techno would do something that irritated Will, Will would scream at him, Techno would break down crying. Wilbur would feel bad immediately every time he shouted at his brother. He wanted his feelings towards Techno to change, he didn't want to be angry at him anymore. But it felt as if it was hardwired into Wilbur's brain that he had to be upset with Techno. </p><p>One day, Tommy sat down next to Wilbur on the couch while he read a book for school. </p><p>"Will, do you hate Techno?" Tommy asked. Wilbur was taken aback by the question. </p><p>"N-no?" It was the truth, Wilbur didn't hate Techno. </p><p>"Huh. Then why do you yell at him so much?" Tommy pressed. </p><p>Wilbur was silent for a moment, contemplating what his little brother had just said. </p><p>"Well... I guess I'm just still kinda angry at him for leaving us." Wilbur said tentatively </p><p>"But you don't hate him?" It was clear that Tommy didn't quite understand. Knowing and understanding how other people felt had never been his strong suit. Counselors had told his family that he would grow out of it and learn to understand emotions. He was only ten years old, after all. But there was something different about Tommy's behavior. It wasn't that he lacked empathy- in fact, he was a very empathetic person- it was just that he didn't quite get it when people had complex feelings about something. For example, Wilbur would get angry at Techno, but he didn't hate him. </p><p>"I mean, you get angry at dad sometimes. But do you hate him?" Wilbur said.</p><p>"No..." Tommy still seemed slightly confused. </p><p>"See? You can get mad at people sometimes and not hate them." Wilbur's tone was gentle </p><p>"Yeah, I guess so." and with that, Tommy hopped up off the couch and disappeared into the hallway. </p><p>Wilbur sighed to himself and nestled into the couch, opening his book back up and shutting out the rest of the world. </p><p> </p><p>"You know, Wilbur, I wanna be just like you when I grow up." Tommy said, his mouth full of food. The family was out to dinner for Tommy's 11th birthday. Having dinner out was an incredibly rare thing, as Phil was never able to afford it. But since it was Tommy's birthday, and his sons hounded him about it, he made an exception. </p><p>Wilbur grinned at his little brother from across the table, "You do?" </p><p>"Yep! I wanna sing and make songs just like you!" Tommy said confidently. </p><p>Phil smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners, "That's very sweet of you to say, Tommy." </p><p>"I wanna be a vet!" Tubbo piped up, putting down his grilled cheese. Tubbo always had a love for animals, he said they "understood him better than people." When Techno first came back, he was entirely fascinated with his older brother's animalistic features. Techno, who had had a soft spot for Tubbo ever since he was brought home, let him prod at his ears and tusks. </p><p>"That's so cool, Tubbo!" Tommy said enthusiastically, ever a hypeman for his adopted brother. </p><p>Tubbo grinned broadly, "Yeah!" His demeanor had changed drastically since the server had come to take everyone's orders. Phil had to order for him, as he shut down the second that the waiter began to speak to him. Helping Tubbo with communication was one of the few instances in which Phil would show any affection for him. Even then, he was much more willing to help Techno if he needed something. </p><p>Tommy had the worst relationship with his father out of the brothers. Even when he was breaking down in frustration and anger, Phil never really did anything. This made Wilbur furious. Why wasn't his little brother getting the attention and help that he not only deserved, but needed? Why did he have to take the place of Phil? Of course, Wilbur wanted to be there for Tommy, Tommy needed him. Wilbur's brothers were his entire world, and he didn't want to let them down. </p><p>
  <em>You're not going to let them down. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*NOTE* IN MY STORY, Tommy has ADHD and Tubbo is selectively mute. THIS DOES NOT MEAN that this is true in real life. In this case, they are characters in a story, and their traits are not indicative of the real people they are loosely based off of. I myself am neurodivergent, and I believe there isn't enough accurate portrayals of neurodivergency in stories, so I like to include it in mine.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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